"Western
democracies cannot be forgiven for their silence when in 1988
to 1989-in Armenia and in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan-hundreds
of thousands of Azerbaijanis were subjected to ethnic cleansing
at the hands of Armenians with the support of the Soviet regime.
This initiated the bloody conflict that today threatens Western
interests in the region.

Nor can Western democracies be forgiven
for failing to condemn Armenia's full-scale military aggression
against Azerbaijan...which has led to the occupation of one-fifth
of Azerbaijan territory. As of now, Western democracies have
taken no effective remedial actions."

Vafa Guluzade, Foreign Policy Adviser to President
Aliyev in a letter published in the Washington Times on September
22, 1997.

Good Neighbors

"The condition of war and lack of
any settlement greatly damages both Azerbaijan and Armenia. However,
Azerbaijan has more potential than Armenia. If the status quo
continues, Azerbaijan will achieve much more than Armenia. This
is obvious. But I would not like to have Armenia as a starving,
embittered and "armed-to-the-teeth" neighbor. It is
in the best interests of both of our countries to reach peace
and develop together rather than annihilate each other."

Vafa Guluzade, Foreign Affairs
Advisor to President Heydar Aliyev, in an interview with the
Armenian news service Snark on June 16, 1998.